The SAFE Infant Feeding Team is excited to be in partnership with the National Pediatric Disaster Coalition.
This connection began when SAFE Team board member Ashley Mickelson, M.S., NLP, CCC-SLP, IBCLC participated in the Pediatric Disaster Response and Emergency Preparedness course developed by Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service and certified by FEMA. Through that experience, Ashley connected with Patricia Frost, RN, PHN, MS, PNP, President and Executive Director of the National Pediatric Disaster Coalition.
While sharing her experience responding to infant feeding challenges during disasters, Ashley was surprised to learn that very little formal guidance exists within disaster preparedness systems on infant and young child feeding in emergencies (IYCF-E). Recognizing this gap, Patricia immediately became an advocate for the SAFE Team’s work.
Since that first connection, the National Pediatric Disaster Coalition has generously welcomed SAFE Team members into their professional community. They invited our team to participate in coalition meetings, helped introduce our work to partners across the pediatric disaster preparedness field, and provided mentorship as we began sharing our work in national spaces.
Their support helped open doors for SAFE Team members to present at the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and to participate in conversations at the National Healthcare Coalition Preparedness Conference 2025.
We are deeply honored to now be featured in the National Pediatric Disaster Coalition’s 2025 Annual Report, highlighting the growing collaboration between our organizations.
Partnerships like this are essential as we work together to ensure that disaster preparedness systems fully account for the needs of infants, young children, and the caregivers who support them.
We are grateful to Patricia Frost and the entire National Pediatric Disaster Coalition for their leadership, mentorship, and commitment to strengthening pediatric disaster preparedness across the country.
